Alec Ingold to get golden opportunity with Oakland Raiders

With Keith Smith going down with a knee injury, undrafted free agent rookie Alec Ingold has a golden opportunity with the Oakland Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders have plenty of position battles heading into training camp, and the fullback spot was one that many expected to keep an eye on. Keith Smith played decently in his first season with the team in 2018, but did not do anything to warrant the job being his for the upcoming season.

After the 2019 NFL Draft, the Raiders brought in former Wisconsin fullback Alec Ingold, who many felt was the best fullback in the 2019 draft class. At Wisconsin, Ingold paved the way for Jonathan Taylor, who is not only one of the best running backs in college football, but could be a front-runner to win the Heisman Trophy this season.

On Wednesday night, it was announced that Smith would miss a lot, if not all of training camp, moving Ingold to the top of the depth chart at the fullback position. For Ingold, this is the kind of opportunity that does not usually fall into someone’s lap, as he will now be front and center when practices kick off.

This is an Oakland Raiders offense that should be much better in 2019, as they have upgraded at offensive tackle, wide receiver, and running back. Though tight end is a big question mark heading into the summer, the group as a whole has the talent to be dynamic, led by sixth-year starter Derek Carr at quarterback, and elite wide receiver Antonio Brown on the outside.

With the veterans reporting tomorrow, the training camp schedule will start to ramp up, with the first full practice on Saturday. Ingold suddenly finds himself as the No. 1 fullback in Oakland, and he will do everything he can to make sure he hangs on to that role when Smith comes back from injury.